Review: 4K UHD takes '2001' to a whole new level

Posted Monday, November 19, 2018 at 4:51 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 1:43 PM Central

by John Couture

When someone asks me to pick my favorite filmmaker, I'm always thrown for a loop. I mean do you go with someone with an eye for storytelling ala Frank Capra? A master of suspense like Alfred Hitchcock? A true maestro in Stanley Kubrick? Or a combination of all of the above in Steven Spielberg?

Or do I simply pull out my wildcard and pick the filmmaker whose films that I've rewatched the most, Kevin Smith?

How do you even define "favorite filmmaker"? The true answer is that there is no wrong answer here. Well, let clarify that. Uwe Boll is most definitely a wrong answer to this question. I can't wait to get all of the hate mail from Uwe Boll enthusiasts.

Anyhow, more often than not, when I take everything into consideration, I usually pick Stanley Kubrick as my favorite filmmaker because he was a consummate perfectionist that made monumentally important and influential films across a number of genres. He quite literally helped to shape filmmaking for a generation and his influence doesn't appear to be waning anytime soon.

Perhaps the most important film that is integral to his legacy is 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey. It not only kick-started a revolution in science-fiction that continues to be felt to this day, but it was such a landmark film that it sparked one of the greatest conspiracy theories known to man, that the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked.

The fact that 2001 came out a whole year before Apollo 11's mission to the moon is astounding when you watch the film now through the lens of perspective. Given the restraint of technological advancements that wouldn't come for a decade or three, Kubrick crafted a film that may indeed by the quintessential film on space travel. I guess you can see why some people might believe in the moon landing hoax, Stanley Kubrick was simply that good of filmmaker at the time that he may have been able to pull something like that off.

Whether you believe in the moon hoax conspiracy or not (who am I to judge?), there is no question that Kubrick was years ahead of his contemporaries when it came to space filmmaking. I mean this film was released almost a decade before Star Wars and I would argue that we would never get the latter film without the former film.

So, when I heard that 2001: A Space Odyssey was being released on 4K UHD, I simply couldn't miss the opportunity to revisit this iconic film. For those of you who haven't yet had the experience, Stanley Kubrick's film spans the whole existence of man from the introduction of tools to space travel in the year 2001. The film takes a journey through the evolution of man and calls into question our very nature of being and whether or not we were helped along our path by an extraterrestrial source.

Based on an original short story from science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick worked with the author to craft a screenplay that continues to ripple through our collective consciousness today. The film not only tackles major philosophical and psychological issues, but it also attempts to tackle the human condition.

Long before there was a computer in everyone's pocket that also happens to be a phone, Kubrick and Clarke created an artificial intelligence in HAL 9000. This "evil" computer consciousness not only serves as an inspiration for science fiction but also helped to shape real-world exploration of AI.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of 2001: A Space Odyssey's debut in theaters. Earlier this year, filmmaker Christopher Nolan (another one of my favorite filmmakers) went back and help to produce an "unrestored" 70mm print that played theatrically in celebration of this landmark. Thankfully, I can report that this 4K UHD version is not based on that print and has been completely restored. In fact, Warner Bros. sent us a full two-page explanation of the process involved in creating the HDR 4K Blu-ray, but I'll spare you the details.

Unless you want them, then simply let me know and I'll get them to you. Suffice to say, they took the work that Nolan did with the 70mm print and built on it to create an impressive visual experience. I have seen this film so many times that I have lost count. I have watched it on the big screen, VHS, DVD, you name it and I have never seen 2001 look better. It literally took my breath away and I already considered the previous incarnations to be pretty spectacular.

On the audio side of things it gets a little interesting. Not only do we get a new 5.1 DTS-HD master audio track, but there's also an option to listen to the original 1968 6-track theatrical audio mix. I spent a great deal of time moving between the two and the differences are astounding. Everyone will have their own preference, but let me simply say that this film pivots on the incredible classic score and it has never sounded better.

Put simply, you must own this version of 2001: A Space Odyssey because it is just better than the previous versions. There's no contest. It's not even close. If you are a fan of Kubrick or the film or just science fiction in general, there's no excuse not to add the 4K UHD Blu-ray to your collection.

My lone quibble with this release was the lack of new bonus features that weren't previously available on earlier releases. On the other hand, they spent all of their time and money to ensure that the film looks and sounds the best that it can and it certainly shows.

2001: A Space Odyssey will be avilable on 4K UHD on December 18.